Indonesia & Singapore Fraud We thought it would be a good idea to let the business world know about some of the unscrupulous characters who have taken us for a ride. I'm talking about the ones who have used stolen credit cards and the ones who refuse to pay their bills. You know the type. Indonesia There are people in Indonesia, and more recently Singapore who use stolen credit cards to buy new tools. Since they don't use their own names, it's pointless to mention them here. We've had one phony organization go through 5 different cards stolen from US citizens (probably off the internet). The crooks are still on the loose and here are some things to look out for: they insist they're in a hurry and need the goods right away. They want you to charge their cards immediately. If the card is declined they're ready with another one. Their shipping address is probably just a drop-off location. They won't give you a valid fax number ("What do you need a fax for?") They do everything by email and are extremely courteous. They'll even come back to order more if you were foolish enough to send the first time. The banks and credit card companies are aware of this scam but it's questionable anyone will be caught. Just keep in mind that if you're tempted to make a sale to Indonesia, check, double-check and triple-check their legitimacy. Don't accept credit cards. Make them pay by wire-transfer (but don't give them your operating checking account number, or you-know-what!) and don't let them rush you into anything. We've learned the hard way. Ironically and shamefully, MasterCard will not notify the rightful owners of the cards that their cards have been "stolen." Here's a sample "order" which we received January 2004: Dear Sir,
I have visited your website. I'm quite interested on your products. If it is possible, I would like to order from you. Do you have the products below:
1. Mitutoyo Electronic Calipers 500-196 quantity : 12
2. Mitutoyo Electronic Calipers 500-171 quantity : 12
3. Mitutoyo Electronic Calipers 500-197 quantity : 24
Shipping & Billing Address :
Name : Mira Lesmana
Company: Fumira CV
Address: Jl. Playen 12
City: Wonosari
State: Gunungkidul
ZIP: 55231
Country: Indonesia
Telephone: 081328797114
Please ship my order via FEDEX and for the payment I would prefer to use Credit Card. Please reconfirm regarding to this order ASAP (with detail price), thank you.
Regards,
Mira Lesmana
Update: March 2007 We still get these inquiries but now-a-days they use western sounding names and on occasion they've given US addresses. When we try to look up the address it's always a residence. The substance of their e-mails remains essentially the same. Update: March 2008 They're still arriving but now they're shorter and they get right to the point: are you willing to ship to Singapore (or some other south Asian city) and can they pay by credit card? That seems to be more important to them than asking for pricing or availability. | 
